Known as the 'Seven Bays' area due to the number of beaches along this part of the coastline, you know you are approaching the village when you see the 'Seven Bays for Seven Days' signs on the road heading in. If it's a walking holiday you are looking for, St Merryn is an excellent choice, being near to beaches, cliffs and fields, where lovely views entice you from your holiday home and into the great outdoors
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The village of St Merryn, includes more than 5 1/2 miles of coastline, with some of the most dramatic cliffs and beautiful beaches in Cornwall
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St. Merryn village has a tourism motto “Seven bays for seven days”, displayed on the road signs as you enter the village. This refers to the bays & beaches in the vicinity which are (north-east to south-west): Trevone Bay, Harlyn Bay, Mother Ivy’s Bay, Booby’s Bay and the adjoining Constantine Bay, Treyarnon Bay and Porthcothan Bay.
Only one of these, Booby’s Bay has no beach at the highest tides, the ribs of a wrecked ship appear periodically as the sand is relocated by the sea and prevailing currents.scenery; there are many notable viewpoints between Porthcothan to Padstow. The 7 beaches have varying aspects, offering the potential for shelter or surf, depending on wind direction and tidal state. Most beaches offer ‘crabbing and netting’ rocks at their west end, a favourite pursuit for children
Many cliff top benches are dedicated to relatives of locals and visitors ‘who loved this place’. ‘Lark song and sea sound in the air, and splendour, splendour everywhere’ is one inscription on a bench between Treyarnon and Constantine Bays. Another nearby is the mysterious ‘The Captain and the Purple Lady – The sun is always over the yardarm’.
On Trevose Head (located between Booby’s Bay and Mother Ivey’s Bay visitors can see the Trevose Head Lighthouse, and go inside the Lifeboat Station. Between Trevone and Padstow, the estuary headland is topped with an old stone lookout tower, now unmanned
The widest beaches at low tide are Harlyn Bay and Constantine Bay. All the bays have fine golden sands and a backdrop of either rocky cliffs or sand-dunes, and all are popular with families as well as swimmers and surfers.
There is a sand-dune Conservation project at Constantine Bay, preserving an ancient haven for wildlife. This 20-year project involved planting tens of thousands of sea grass plants. The North Cornwall Coastal Path (follow the yellow arrows) leads even an average walker to dramatic coastal
From the medieval church, Bronze and Iron Age settlements, interesting inns,and a golf course and country club all add to the colour and vitality of this age old but still expanding community.
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There are also several licensed restaurants and two pubs – The Farmers Arms and The Cornish Arms
Takeaways and shops where you can buy your everyday provisions and hire or buy wetsuits and surf boards.
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At nearby Tresallyn Cross there is a very unusual front garden. Eight giant monoliths stand in a circle like a miniature Stonehenge. A ‘holy’ well and a twelve feet deep underground chamber complete this strange collection. At nearby Trewithen Farm, Tina’s riding stables cater for trekking through quiet narrow lanes.
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The famous historic fishing port of Padstow is just over 3 miles away and has a number of interesting shops, restaurants and galleries plus attractions such as the National Lobster Hatchery, the Elizabethan Manor House of Prideaux Place. Hiring bicycles in Padstow for exploring the Camel Trail is a must for visitors of all ages and, if you have the energy, you will be able to follow the trail inland alongside the river as far as Bodmin Moor. Other places to visit during your stay include the Eden Project, and a choice of many wonderful gardens and historic houses
